Le Diable
by Ki Hiwatari
Summary: The Devil had ascended. Strange things began to happen in Mizumemachi. Having no clue, people suspected these to be the works of the Devil. Was it real? Or was it the work of someone else? Rated T for some violence. Please read and review :D
1. The Devil's Notice

**Story**: Le Diable

**Author**: G. Hiiragizawa Erm... Do I have to write one? I own this story, including all characters and places D Everything is from my imagination. There is nothing related to anyone or anything in the real world.

**Author's Note**: Whew My first story is finally up! Please read and review! Erm... what should I say? There may be some disconnection between each chapter, but that's the style of my writing, writing about here and there and everywhere :P I have already finished this story, so I am sure to update this, well, perhaps on a weekly basis? That sounds good )

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PROLOGUE

The desire of power is something that will never be extinguished from the world. As long as humans exist, there will be fights for power. It is man's character to be greedy, to be ambitious, to be in search of a power greater than that of his fellow beings, and to protect the things he considers to be the most important in his life.

Angels and devils do exist, just like the two sides of a coin, the two kinds of matter. Everything consists of a positive side, as well as a negative side opposing it. In theory, angels are the guardians of Heaven, and devils of Hell. However, devils may not be as bad as they sound, it is just because of their desire for power they are banned from the Kingdom of Heaven.

As long as you have power, there will be sacrifices. And the greater power you have, the greater your sacrifice will be. This may seem to you like a fair trade, but sometimes your sacrifices are worth far more than what you have gained.

The devil ascended to earth.

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CHAPTER 01 THE DEVIL'S NOTICE

The streets of Mizumemachi were silent. The wind was strong, tearing apart the leaves from the little trees at the side of the narrow allies. Not a shadow was seen within a mile. The town looked empty, deserted, totally isolated from civilization. The lamp posts showed no light. Apparently the street keeper had forgotten to replace the burnt candles. The whole town laid out over the dim light of the only moon hung up high in the sky.

Tired after his work, reporter Takeshi Akitsuki was strolling home steadily in one of the lonely allies, trying to keep his balance after several drinks at the Moe Pub. The day had been bad for him, _too bad_, he recalled. It had been two months since he got his new job at Mizume Daily, but he had never submitted a big article. Today, his boss had called him to his office, requesting something worth reading in a week.

Till now, Takeshi had only written articles on small car accidents, burglaries and news on the second-line celebrities. He was not looking for those, he continuously told himself. He needed something of weight, something which would shock the whole town.

Takeshi continued to walk along the ally, pressing his hands against the walls as if he was afraid he would lose his direction. He was too busy occupied by his thoughts that he did not notice a shadow passed behind him.

As he turned the corner into the lane towards the entrance of his apartment, Takeshi jumped at the sight of a man pointing a knife at him.

"Give me all your money and valuables if you want to pass here alive," the man demanded.

Takeshi stood there stunned, unable to say anything, but clear about one thing. The knife had woken him from his drinks.

He eyed the man in front of him. He was a lot larger in size compared to him, with a thick brown beard and messy brown hair tied to a ponytail loosely at the back. He smelled of tobacco smoke and his face showed that he had not taken a shower for at least a week.

Seeing Takeshi unmoved, the man demanded again, in a louder voice this time. "Give me your money and I will spare your life! At once!"

Reluctantly, Takeshi put his hand inside his blouse pocket and began searching for his wallet among his chains of keys, identification documents and pennies. The huge man's eyes followed his hands, but his knife pointed straight in front of Takeshi's chest.

_This is the worst day of my life_. Takeshi thought to himself as he pulled out his wallet slowly. _Damn the criminals. Why can't they do something worth reporting? And damn this man here, why can't he come some other day other than this?_

The huge man's eyes shone as he stared at Takeshi flipping open his wallet. There seemed to be some yellow… no, _gold_ coins in between some large pieces of paper. _That must be gold coins_. His face showed a smile.

Takeshi turned his wallet upside down. The man watched the coins fell to the ground, producing a sound which made him come back from his dream.

_CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK_.

To the man's surprise, what fell out of Takeshi's wallet were not the gold coins he had been hoping for, instead, they are very far from what he had expected. Four yellow plastic circular discs laid on the ground before him.

"What… what are these?" The man stared in puzzle.

"My lucky plastic coins which my son gave me before he died."

"Are you kidding me? You damn bastard! Where is the money I asked for?"

Takeshi gave a shrug. "Obviously from what you can see I have no money with me. I spent them all on drinks just now."

Takeshi could sense man's anger. He looked _furious_. It is no joke now, Takeshi thought. He clenched his teeth tight and held onto his briefcase as the knife came towards him. _Just hope the briefcase is hard enough to block the blow_.

Takeshi closed his eyes as he held his briefcase in front of his chest. The sound of something hit wood. Takeshi opened one eye. The knife was released and completely stuck in his briefcase.

_Beautiful. Perhaps I can consider choosing this brand for my next briefcase again_.

Takeshi took a peek over the briefcase. There was no one. _Is the man gone?_ He stayed close to the wall and listened.

Before he could hear anything, he felt a cut in his back, then a sharp pain growing fast from his back through his body to his brain. His reflex responded and he turned round immediately. There he was, the man holding a second knife.

"You are going to pay for playing with me!" The guy clenched his fists hard. Takeshi could see clearly the hand holding the knife was about the break the handle.

_This is really the end_.

Takeshi prayed as he held tight to his briefcase. His mind released a signal to his legs telling him to escape, but his legs did not respond. Takeshi stood there like a rigid statue ready to be crushed. He prayed as hard as he could.

Takeshi had never prayed in his entire life. He always believed that only the weak are capable of praying. He had laughed at friends who prayed for everything, calling them stupid and not independent. However, there was nothing else Takeshi could think of right now. He waited for the second split of pain silently. _Here it comes_.

Nothing came. He waited, but not even the sound of metal was heard. The tobacco smell of the huge man seemed to have faded out, and the loud breath of hatred was not heard anymore. Again, Takeshi opened his eyes slowly.

The huge man laid a few metres from him on the ground, dead. He was facing the ground with his limbs stretched. He looked like he had died from suffocation.

A dark figure stood over him, murmuring, "I really have no idea why we are there when creatures like this roam around on earth!"

Takeshi took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Looking at the figure, he could see that it indeed looked like a human, but the black aura surrounding it told him that it was not. Takeshi could not see what it looked like since it is facing him with its back. He could only see the long black cloak the figure was wearing flipping under the wind.

The figure turned. Takeshi felt a chill. As it approached him, Takeshi noticed that it looked like a guy in his teens, slightly shorter than him, with black hair and ruby-red eyes. The most amazing thing was that the guy did not look evil at all.

"Are you alright there?" the "figure" asked Takeshi, then he smiled. "Almost got stabbed, huh? Luckily I am here just at the right time." The dark aura around him started to fade as well.

_Right_ time. _You could have come earlier_.

"Have you heard my prayers? Are you an _angel_?" Takeshi spoke in a broken tone. He realized that his voice was not as calm as he thought he was. The word "angel" came out unexpectedly, seeing that the guy was clothed in total blackness.

"Angels never answer prayers," they guy began, "but sometimes _we_ do." The smile left his face, he was being serious. "Especially when something worse than our kind is allowed to live better than us."

"Who… who are you then?" Takeshi felt his lips shaking. If he is not an angel, _what_ had helped me?

"Nice to meet you, I am_ the Devil_." The guy vanished as soon as those words were pronounced.

Takeshi dropped to the ground, his legs too tired to support his whole body. The guy's voice echoed in his ears. _I am the Devil… _Repeating and repeating again.

The streets went back to its initial darkness, silence fell upon the narrow ally. From afar Takeshi could hear the clear bark of a hound. However, Takeshi had no time to notice further, a broad smile passed on his face. Tonight he had not only survived from a near fatal death, but he had also seen something which would change his life completely.

The Devil. He mumbled to himself. This is going to be _big_ news.

Takeshi grabbed his briefcase, gathered his plastic coins, took out his keys and dashed into his apartment. He immediately sat in front of his desk, turn on his monitor and typing endlessly in a word document what he had seen some minutes ago, forgetting about the pain in his back.

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**Author's Rant**: So, that's it for chapter 01. How do you find it? I will be glad if you like the story D Remember to give some reviews! That will help me improve in the comping chapters. Thanks a lot in advance!

**Chapter 02 Preview... **

A normal girl of 12 was ready for her first day in high school. There she met her so-called friends and got to see her new school. However, an explosion happened in town. Was it an accident? Was the girl responsoble?


	2. Shadow of Fate

**Author's Note**: Aww... I guess I am updating more regularly although I have indicated in the previous chapter a "weekly basis". I just want to get the chapters up! Since it is only a few days, it is reasonable to have no reviews sobs but I am hoping for some soon . Please, please read and review! Thanks!

**Disclaiminer**: Everything belongs to me :D Please don't take any characters, story or places without permission or you will have to deal with the FF.N court :P

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CHAPTER 02 SHADOW OF FATE

The pin of the alarm clock was banging like hell on its metal case, attempting to break it when a hand caught the "off" button. The ringing died immediately.

Yuki Kasaki sat up on her bed, yawning and trying to look at the time with her sleepy eyes.

6 a.m.

_Plenty of time._

She got out of bed and went into the bathroom for the usual morning bath. The warm water flowed out of the tap swiftly, squeezing the air out of the bath tub while it remained inside. Yuki took her toothbrush, applied some paste and brushed her teeth in front of the small mirror while the water was filling the tub. Yuki was not a very tall girl, but her height of 160 cm made her taller than most of her peers. Her golden brown hair fell neatly to her shoulders behind her. Her red eyes shone brightly with determination.

It was a new day for her. The first day in high school is always one of the most exciting days in a student's life. The same goes for Yuki. She had been waiting for this day for ages since grade five. In Mizumemachi, you are considered to be an independent individual once you reached the age of twelve, and that is, the official age to enter high school.

Yuki entered the bath tub and sat there, enjoying the flower-scented fragrance of the bubbles popping up from underwater. The best enjoyment in the mornings was always the bubble bath before school. It did not only keep her awake, but it also gave her a sweet scent similar to that from perfumes. Of course, perfumes were better, but expenditure managing was the most important thing to Yuki.

After the refreshing bath, Yuki came out to the living room and checked her refrigerator. Four eggs, some milk and some ham. That would be more than enough for breakfast.

Although every day had been the same for Yuki, she gave out a short sigh as she was frying her eggs. The apartment was quiet, too quiet. Yuki did not remember how she passed her childhood. She could not remember her parents clearly. All that she learnt was the death of her parents were caused by a malfunction in their car when they fell off a cliff while turning a sharp corner near the coast. Yuki had been alone since then. However she was not afraid, she did not even shed a tear during her parents' funeral.

_That was just because I did not have enough power to protect them_. She thought.

"_Do you want power?" _A voice had asked._ "I can grant you what you want, but in return…"_

Yuki shook her head to erase the thought. That was a long time ago, she told herself. She was not to recall anything about that incident again. She might have made a mistake then, but the present was all that she cared.

Yuki washed the dishes after breakfast and cleaned the dining table. Grabbing her bag, she headed for the door, and within a minute she was on her bus going to school.

From her seat, Yuki could clearly see the houses she passed and the wild grasslands at the side of the road. Although this is a small town, Mizumemachi was famous for its sufficient plains and parks throughout the town. These natural beauties were totally different at daytime than what you see them as at night.

Today the sun shone brilliantly, its strong rays being reflected by the ponds forming a colourful ladder up into the sky. Children were running around the fields, chasing after butterflies and strange bugs.

Yuki glanced to the distance. Mizume High School was said to be the best school of town, but its location away from the town centre was one thing parents had to consider before sending their children there.

Little by little, Yuki saw the shape of a building above Mizume Hill. The bus arrived at the edge of the hill and began ascending the narrow twined lane, the only way to reach and exit Mizume High School.

After a few minutes, the bus came to a complete stop. Yuki had expected more passengers in the bus, but there was only her, and the bus driver. Yuki got off the bus and looked around her.

Mizume High School was an enormous building built in the late 30s. It was once the castle of a certain duke died from a mysterious death. The castle was emptied for 20 years before the current headmaster, Satoshi Tsukamoto, bought the building together with its lands and turned them into a campus.

"Yuki-chan!" Yuki turned in the direction of the voice. Megumi Akabe, a girl of the same age as Yuki, with light black hair and purple eyes, ran towards her as she called out. "I can't believe Yuki-chan is coming to the same school too!" Megumi was popular in the class because of her extreme beauty, especially among the guys.

"Oh, Megumi," Yuki replied. She did not have the habit of adding _–chan_ as suffixes to others' names. To Yuki, Megumi or any other girl was just _friends_, and this "friend" carried no other meaning but "someone you know".

Friendship was not something Yuki could have. It was given away and buried deep underground ages ago.

Yuki forced a smile. "Me either. I have never thought we will be in the same school again. Do you know who else is going to be with us?"

"Well," Megumi held her right hand against her chin as a sign of thinking hard, "as far as I know, there is Sana, Aya, Tsuki and Minko. I am not sure of the guys since I don't really pay attention to them."

Yuki gave out a faint choke and laughed. "Wait till the guys hear what you say and they will be heartbroken."

"Like I care for them, you can tell them if you like."

They both laughed.

The sudden ringing of the school bell was what set their feet jumping and rushing towards the main gate. The Mizume Bell, well-known for its soothing rings, was hung on the highest tower of Mizume Castle. It was believed to have been made for the civil war in the last century, and the previous owner of the castle had bought it as a decoration on top of the highest tower.

The ring echoed several miles from the centre of Mizumemachi, bringing the city to life as the townsmen woke up and prepared for their daily routine.

Yuki and Megumi got their step into the school area just as the gate closed firmly behind them. One more second and they would be late.

Walking along the grand marbled corridors of Mizume High School, one had nothing to do but to admire the many marvelous paintings hung on the two sides of the walkway. Looking down on them were the eyes of many historical figures, most of them are the duke's family members, countless beautiful ladies, handsome lords and lovely kids. The duke was_ lucky_ to have such a family.

The corridor ended at the front yard, a three-acre piece of grassland around a circular fountain in the centre. The water from the fountain was clear and fresh, and came from the statue of a person holding a jar located at the side.

_The sign of Aquarius_. Yuki thought. The word "aqua" means water in Latin. This Aquarius fountain was the best symbol of Mizumemachi – the _"Water Eye"_ Town. Many tourists were attracted every year coming to have a look at this famous monument, but were turned down at the school's main gate since only students were allowed to enter.

The grand school opening ceremony of the Mizume High School was to be held around this fountain. Yuki could see many girls and boys gathering in groups chatting among themselves. Many of them looked young, like her. She wondered if the _teachers_ were among those people as well.

Yuki felt Megumi pulling her sleeve. "Yuki-chan, over there!" Yuki followed the direction she was pointing. Not far from them Sana, Aya, Tsuki and Minko were waving wildly at them.

"Hey, Yuki-chan, Megumi-chan! Come over here!"

"Yupz, coming!" Megumi shouted as she dragged Yuki along towards the crowd.

"Yuki-chan is still so cute," commented Sana, "I wish I can be half as cute as you."

Sana Kafuji was an average-looking girl with long deep blue hair and light blue eyes. Her father, Commander Kafuji, was killed during a war when she was eight. Her mother left them before Sana knew whom she was. Sana had been striving to do her best by herself since then. However, she had a childhood friend, Hayato, who helped her a lot during this time of crisis.

"I am not really that cute," Yuki said softly, blushing. She felt a slight hush of embarrassment inside herself.

"I also think Yuki-chan is cute, but Megumi-chan is always the cutest!" Aya wrapped her arms around Yuki as she smiled.

Aya Katakiri was a lovely girl with attractive yellow hair and brown eyes. Her hair was tied to two ponytails which hung loosely at the sides. Aya looked like a matured high school girl, but inside her heart stayed childish.

Tsuki Kouizumi and Minko Harake looked similar. Someone not familiar with them may think that they are twins. Both of them were gifted with long brown hair with slight curls and sparkling amber eyes.

Yuki smiled. She was so used to smiling in front of others. Now she could force a perfect smile at anytime in front of anyone without difficulty. _A fake smile. A brilliant fake smile._

The headmaster spoke. Everyone's attention was directed to the central stage. Upon the wooden truss-supported structure, the headmaster together with several teachers stood with authority.

"Welcome to Mizume High School, my name is Satoshi Tsukamoto, the headmaster of this academy," the headmaster announced, carefully scanning all the students below him. "I am very glad that all of you take your trouble to come to this academy. I apologize for the fact that our school does not provide dormitory services, but I assure that buses will be frequent during school times."

Satoshi stopped for a while, as if giving the students time to digest what he had said. He continued, "Now I would like to introduce to you our administrative board. They are the staff you should turn to when you encounter difficulties in school." He raised his hand and three people behind him stood up.

"Starting from my right going to the left is Ayumi Kikuji, the medical assistant, Kira Toufuji, the discipline head and Nami Tooka, the administrative head."

The three teaches bowed. Applause from the students.

"Now please follow the arrangement posted on the boards on your left and proceed to your classrooms. More information will be provided by your homeroom teachers. Dismiss."

The students gave out a faint cheer, and everyone tried to squeeze in front of the notice boards.

Yuki, together with her friends, arrived before the boards. She was glad to know that only Megumi was in the same class as her. _Perfect arrangement_. Yuki had never been able to make many friends, and Megumi was the only one whom she considered could be a better friend of hers, as in "someone you know better".

"It's so bad we cannot be together in one class," Megumi gave out a sigh.

"We cannot help it, it is decided by the school," Minko spoke for the first time. "Anyways, we can get together during the breaks."

"Sure thing," Aya broke in, "it will be so lonely for me to have none of you in my class."

"It will be fine for you, Aya. Look, Fujisaki-senpai is going to be your class' teaching assistant." Sana said as she pointed to the lower part of Aya's class list.

"Fujisaki-kun…?" Aya stared at the notice. Hiko Fujisaki, the president of the Students' Council, was the guy Aya had liked since primary. Although he was only one year older than her, he seemed to know much more than his current level, and was the youngest council president in Mizume High School history.

"Well well… ," Aya tried to hide her face, controlling her happiness.

"Then Aya's settled," Minko said happily. Everyone else laughed.

Knowing little time is left, Yuki and Megumi headed towards their homeroom while others went to theirs.

"Wonder who our homeroom teacher is," Megumi said as they climbed up the staircase to their homeroom.

_It doesn't matter who he is, does it?_

Megumi put her hand on the handle and pushed open the door. They both stepped in. Many other students had already seated in their places, chatting with each other and walking around the classroom.

The class contained about thirty students, about half of the class were boys and the other half girls. Yuki and Megumi seated themselves in the front row since only the front seats were remaining.

Classes began. The homeroom teacher, Kiyotaka Umino, was a middle-aged man with a short beard and grayish hair. It was rumoured that his grey hair was the result from too much thinking. _Thinking?_ Yuki believed his hair was the result from too much _drinking_.

Lessons continued for the whole morning, Language, Mathematics, Science, History, and some discussion sessions before lunch came.

Hearing the lunch bell was such a relief. Yuki was so glad that school only last the morning during the first day. Since primary, Yuki had liked to have lunch by herself. _Away from the noise_. Lying on the grass staring at the clear blue sky was much relaxing. Yuki had dreamt of flying high up in the sky one day.

"Y…Yuki-chan?" Megumi waved her hand in front of Yuki's face.

Yuki woke from her thought. "Oh, Megumi. What is it?"

"Nothing, just asking if you would like to have lunch with us."

"Um… nope, thanks. I have something to do. I am very sorry."

"It's okay. See you tomorrow!" Yuki watched as Megumi raced across the grass happily towards her friends.

_Friends_. Yuki thought to herself once again. _I don't need friends_. Friends are just like any other stranger. They come to you, they use you, and they abandon you.

_I don't need anyone except myself_.

Yuki sat herself down at a spot near the central fountain. She looked around to make sure that no one was looking in her direction, then she took out her lunch box and opened it with a smile.

Yuki had never been good with lunchboxes, or any kind of cooking. She felt embarrassed when she saw the beautifully packed lunchboxes of her classmates. Today she had bought fried egg and ham sandwich. It looked simple and plain, but Yuki thought of how difficult she had made them and enjoyed as she consumed her lunch.

About a kilometre away, a loud sound was heard, and smoke emerged from the top of the houses. Yuki heard screams, sirens and chaotic voices. She looked ahead.

The black smoke rose from the ground like a big cloud dissolving the sky. Clearly something had exploded and caused a fire. Yuki was not the kind of person who would like to stick her nose into other people's business, but something told her that the explosion was unusual.

Yuki felt a pain in her right arm and she folded her sleeves. There on her arm was a golden emblem, glowing brightly under the darkened sky.

_Time to go_. Yuki thought.

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**End of Chapter Rant**: Okay, this is the second chapter. There seems to be no connection to the first, but please be patient! You will find the connection soon, erm, well, "soon" :D

**Next On...** Okay, so there is the explosion... who is the doer? The truth is going to be revealed!


	3. The Revolution from Hell

**Author's Note**: I am back for another chapter! Uhh... looks like I have no reviews again... I guess I am updating too fast? I just want to get this up! I just discovered something, there are many symbols which could not be shown even if I type them and preview them... I guess you know what I am writing even if the symbols get messed up. I will try my best to avoid weird symbols!

**Disclaiminer**: Huh? What?

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CHAPTER 03 THE REVOLUTION FROM HELL

Takeshi Akitsuki was thrown out of his bed when a loud bang struck his head. He rubbed his eyes and put on his glasses.

Beside his bed, the glass of his windows was cracked. _I only changed the glass last week. What the heck._

He got out of bed and changed to his reporter suit. He applied some medicine on his injured back and looked in the mirror. _The first day_, he thought. If he could not get a shocking article done within a week his reporting career would end right before his eyes.

Takeshi touched the mouse beside his laptop and the monitor sprang to life. _Good. The article is still here_. What is left is to find _proof_. _Proof of the existence of the Devil._

Outside his window, people were rushing across the streets, carrying an expression of horror. They all seemed to be running away from a certain same direction.

"Perhaps there is some news," Takeshi murmured to himself. "I may as well check that out before finding my own stuff."

Without wasting another minute, Takeshi was pulling his camera bag and briefcase dashing down the front lane of his apartment.

Takeshi could see smoke rising in front of him, not very far from his current position. He took a quick shot of it and continued his pace along the direction of the smoke.

More people passed him, this time with kids and pets. Takeshi wondered if they had seen a Godzilla to give them such a horrified expression.

As he approached the crime scene with his heavy equipments, Takeshi realized that he was going towards the well-known Mizume Fireworks Factory. Mizume Fireworks was famous for its big missile-like "shuttles", as they call it, the best large-sized fireworks within hundreds of miles.

An explosion _inside_ the fireworks factory would be hazardous. The fire caused would be so difficult to extinguish even when all the fire trucks were used. Takeshi hoped that he was not going to face hell in his report.

Turning around the last corner, Takeshi had his camera ready but was taken back at the sight of the scene. The fireworks factory was totally demolished, completely turned into ashes. A huge flame burned in the centre of where the building once stood. Takeshi could see the rising anger in the flames. Although the fire department had arrived and splashing water all over the area, the flames were not stopping. Instead it was getting fierce.

Takeshi had yet to see what was most extraordinary about this crime scene. One would vomit his lunch at once at this sight.

Among the uproar from people's screams, metal falling and water splashing, Takeshi could hear some faint cry of pain from with the flames. Focusing his eyes into the flames, he could faintly see a shadow, a human shadow. Takeshi took a deep breath, covered his head with his blouse and rushed into the flames with his camera.

Takeshi could not move or speak when he arrived at the shadow. Even after thoroughly burnt, Takeshi could see that it was a human, tied to a wooden pole with chains and ropes. His face was not recognizable, and his body was so burnt that Takeshi could see his rib cage sticking out from his front chest.

_Geez_. Takeshi wished he was anywhere but there. He quickly took a few shots and attempted to leave the scene before he too was burnt. His legs tripped on something and he fell, face flat on the ground.

Getting up with all his strength, Takeshi could feel the hot air forcing its way into his lungs. _Shoot. I should be fast. I am running out of air._

As he sprang from his feet, he noticed something sparkling by his side. He picked it up and examined it carefully.

It looked like a little silver plate, about 5 by 5 cm in size and 2 mm thick. There seemed to be some carvings on it. Using his finger, Takeshi wiped off the dust and read the carvings. Although messy, he could read the following words clearly:

_The Devil is here for man. Those who were wrong will be punished._

Takeshi stared at the silver plate in horror. He slid it into his blouse pocket and ran out of the flames for fresh air.

A gust of wind blew straight at his face, cleaning the dirt and ash taken inside the flames. Takeshi looked at the sky and gave a sigh of relieve. _He is still alive_.

The sky darkened and it began to rain. Heavy raindrops fell upon the fire fighting its way through to the ground. The firemen closed their nozzles and return to their trucks happily. The rain extinguished the flames after several minutes.

A dark figure arrived at the scene after everyone was gone. He looked at the burnt pole at the centre of the building and the ashes around and gave a sigh.

_I am late_. He thought. _Just a few minutes earlier and I can save the man_.

From the spreading darkness of the smoke, the golden emblem on his right arm shone brightly.

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**End of Chapter Rant:** This chapter is quite short... urgh... I couldn't think of what to write for the crime scene... and I guess it was not as horrible as I have thought. I just couldn't describe the scene I was thinking about... Anyways, the next chapter will be longer, I promise!

**Next on...** Takeshi found the mysterious plate. What is he going to do with it? Inform the public of the devil? Will anyone believe him?


	4. The Outrageous News

**Author's Note**: Okay, I am still updating although there are no reviews (sobs). I hope to finish this story no matter what since it is my first written story ever. I am trying to write with as much 'mystery' as possible, but sometimes I just couldn't find the right words... English is my second language, so please be lenient on me.

**Disclaiminer:** I am the god of the story! (laughs)

_Yuki: Hey, Ki, shut up! You talk too loud!_

_Ki: What? Do you want me to twist your story?_

_Yuki: (gasped) Oh... no, no, I am going to stay silent, Ki-sama._

_Ki: Good, now ba a good girl and let's start the story._

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CHAPTER 04 THE OUTRAGEOUS NEWS 

Takeshi Akitsuki returned to his apartment and safely put his new discovery under a microscope. He put his head on top of the eye-piece and studied the sample.

_With no doubt this is pure silver. _

He examined the writings next. It looked like a very old-fashioned way of scribbling. There was no consistency in the size of the letters or the spacing. It looked like someone had been in a hurry to carve in the letters before the silver plate cooled down.

After his first step, Takeshi went to his personal photograph laboratory to produce the photographs he had taken.

Takeshi's lab was small, just like the size of a den of a normal apartment. He liked the idea to set up a photo laboratory in a room with no windows, so no renovations were needed from the start. A rectangular desk stood at one side, with metal basins filled with chemicals on the other side waiting quietly on some stools. On top of the desk was a dim desk light, shining on some white plastic sheets spread on the desk's surface.

Steadily Takeshi unlocked his camera and took out the films. He put them into a machine beside the metal basins and obtained bigger sheets from it. He then slowly placed the sheets into the basins and waited for the chemical reactions.

One hour passed. After enjoying his coffee in a relaxing sofa, Takeshi proceeded to his lab once again. He lifted the sheets from the basins and looked at them under the dim light.

A broad smile came across his face. A smirk of satisfaction.

This would be the biggest report ever in his life, he thought. The photographs he had just taken would keep his position in Mizume Daily, no, perhaps they would give him a greater reward.

He sealed all his photos inside a large envelope and switched on the television. Tomorrow he would be the man. The whole Mizume Daily would look up upon Takeshi Akitsuki.

His television beeped as it was turned on. It was the exact time for the evening news.

"According to our latest reports," the Mizume Channel news reporter, Haname Torioka, announced with her sweet voice, "the fire department declared that the fire scene in Mizume Fireworks Factory this noon was the largest flame they had ever encountered. What or who cause the accident remains a mystery, but the police suspected that the fire was caused by a chemical leak inside the factory which quickly tuned into a disaster in the presence of the vast amount of fireworks nearby. Now let us hear what our on-site reporter, Yuushi Hoshimiya has to say about the area."

The screen changed. A young man of about twenty-five, wearing a raincoat and holding a microphone, was trying hard to speak under the wetness and cold.

"I am now at the site where Mizume Fireworks used to locate. As you can see (camera focused on the background scene), this place is completely deserted in one afternoon. Investigation teams are on the run looking for any suspicious evidence of what caused the fire. A dead body was also found," he hesitated for a moment, and continued, "and discovered to be the owner of Mizume Fireworks, Ichi Takashiro, from his IDs. Together with him was a black briefcase which contained documental proof of some illegal trade transactions of Mizume Fireworks with some unknown foreign company. The police assumed that Mizume Fireworks was selling large amount of fireworks abroad for the production of bombs and bullets. Two of Mizume Fireworks' high officials, Ginya Kamachi and Yuuto Hiroshima, were detained and questioned about the matter."

Takeshi pressed on the remote control and the television screen was killed. He laid his head on the sofa's head rest and closed his eyes in deep thought.

_They don't know the truth. The flames were set by someone. The Devil._

The next day, Mizume Daily chief editor Touji Kimura was sitting comfortably at his desk when one of his reporters broke into his office abruptly, almost knocking down his bookcase, with a cheerful look.

Gasping for breath, Takeshi Akitsuki emptied the contents in his envelope in front of Touji and spoke excitedly, "I have photos from the fire scene yesterday at Mizume Fireworks, I mean photos from _insid_e the fire scene. I think you may be interested."

Touji picked up the contents and studied them for a few seconds. Turning back to Takeshi, he gave a suspicious look, "How did you take these? Going into the fire was reckless!"

"I risked my life for my job, you know. So, how's my finding?"

"Excellent… incredible! I must be sure that we put these on our first page tomorrow. Takeshi, you have work to do. Go home now and hand in to me an article on this before midnight tonight." Touji stared at the photographs for a few more seconds and hand them back to Takeshi.

"Well, since you are inside the flames, anything interesting find aside from these photos?" Touji eyed Takeshi cautiously, as if what Takeshi presented were fake.

"Of course there is something else…," Takeshi began, thinking of the silver plate, "but I am not revealing this until I secure my position as a long-term chief reporter here."

"So that's your condition for revealing this information?"

"Yup, no negotiations accepted."

"Fine, let me think of this for some time. I will reply you when you hand in your article tonight."

"Sure, boss. I will be going then." Takeshi left the office and closed the door behind him. _What enjoyment that is to see the chief editor getting interested in you._

The following few hours passed so fast in Takeshi's life that he had little of his mind knowing what happened. He quickly got a detailed wrap-up of what he saw, illustrated by the photographs he had taken, and printed them out neatly in a letter-sized white sheet. For security, he produced a second document highlighting the detail findings of the silver plate, just in case his boss gave him the position he wanted.

He started off again towards Mizume Daily headquarters. He was surprised that his boss was at the main gate to receive him cordially.

"What's up boss?" Takeshi greeted his boss as he arrived.

"Nothing in particular. I am eager to see how your article's been going."

"Pretty good, no worries," Takeshi handed Touji his envelope containing the documents and photos of the incident. "By the way, have you thought about the position I would like to have?"

"Yah, but I have one condition for you to become chief reporter. You are going to follow this case closely and inform the public of any unusual events. My instinct tells me that the fire accident is not that simple. I believe there is more mystery behind the death of Ichi Takashiro."

_Damn smart_. Takeshi thought. The only thing that made Touji Kimura the admiration of the department was the accuracy of his instincts. Those instincts had never failed, not even this time.

"Okay, deal." Takeshi accepted the contract from his boss and signed his name. He took out his other envelope and handed it to his boss. "Here, the other item I found on the scene."

Touji inspected the new information. The photos showed a nicely-cut silver plate with a few lines of scribbling carved on one side. He read what was written and stayed silent for a moment, thinking hard.

"I have no idea what this means, but I guess it was left behind by the murderer of Takashiro or the person who caused the fire."

"I believe so too," Takeshi added, "but the death of Takashiro is really shocking."

"How the death looks like is not a matter we have to worry about, that is the responsibility of the police. What we should do is to reveal to the public as detailed and as accurately as possible the facts we have gathered. The job of the news press is only to transmit information, and not to solve problems."

"You are right. So I am heading back now if there is nothing more."

'Sure, wish you good luck on your coming reports."

"Yeah," Takeshi walked away and disappeared into the darkness.

On the other side of Mizumemachi Yuki was returning home when she passed by a news stand. She took a quick scan at the leftover newspaper. On each and every front page of the newspapers were reports on the mysterious fire incident at Mizume Fireworks.

_I sensed it. It is one of my kind_. Yuki flipped over the pages as the stall-keeper was not looking. Nothing of interested was published, only a brief highlight of the cause of the fire and the losses.

Yuki put her left hand over her right arm. The emblem was not painful, but every time the pain came, Yuki knew there was danger, and she could not help herself but to prevent the danger.

That was the path she had chosen. That was the power she had gained.

* * *

**End of Chapter Rant**: Whew the fourth chapter is up! I am so glad I managed to update this story regularly (well, at least it is still regulaly at present), and I will try to keep my pace in updating! Please read and review!

_Yuki: Ki... I was not in this chapter, excpet the last part._

_Ki: (smiles) Because I forgot about you._

_Yuki: Can you kindly repeat what you have just said?_

_Ki: (laughs more): Sorry, but I promise you will appear in the next chapter._

_Yuki: Well, I am looking forward to it._

**Next On...** Yuki was back to school for a usual boring day, but what was so different about this day was that someone tried to spproach her. Was this person planning something? Or was it just pure out of friendliness?


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